[mst]

For a while I had a partner with a small child; I'd get up at lunchtime, handle my email, go collect the small child from daycare, go back to programming, we'd eat together, then I'd work some more until it was small child bedtime. I did bedtime, then came back downstairs and spend an hour or so with my partner, then vanish and hack until 5am or so.

If the small child woke up in the night, I dealt with it, she got up at 7.30am or so when the small child woke up properly so I could sleep. At the weekend we'd make sure I found time to go take the kid to the playground or something so we could spend an hour or two being silly together, and every few weekends my parents would turn up and we'd go for a day trip.

Overall it worked pretty well - she and I eventually broke up but that was due to factors other than work/family balance.